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He is still playing and joined Southern League Premier Division side Merthyr Town during the summer while making his first move into coaching by leading Cheltenham Town Under-13s.

“I’ve been doing some coaching bits on the side with some local teams and local kids but I wanted to get into an academy,” said Fleetwood, who still lives in Gloucester.

“This is my first step on the ladder and it’s good to be around a professional environment

“It’s all about finding something nice and close and at a club I know well because I know some of the first team players and coaching staff.

“I’m really looking forward to getting to know the players and meeting them and bringing my experience because I’ve been in football for a long time.”

Stuart Fleetwood

Fleetwood has been taking his coaching badges on a fast-track course with the Football Association of Wales and has gained his UEFA B licence.

The former Cardiff City, Forest Green and Wales Under-21 star was offered the opportunity with Cheltenham by the club’s head of academy Antoine Thompson and will be taking two sessions every week, starting next month.

Fleetwood is hoping it will set him on the road to a long career in coaching but has not decided what path he would like to go down yet.

“The badges I’ve qualified for I could go either way,” he said.

“I do enjoy teaching younger players, you feel like you can influence them, but I’m open to anything and if a job came up at a senior side I’m not going to rule anything out.

“This season I want to learn my trade, get to know the running of the club and academy and if anything happens then great.

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“I think I would see myself more as a coach. If anything in management did come along hopefully it would be a few years away because I’m still playing but if anything did come up I would consider it.

“It’s all about getting experience now and next season we’ll see where it takes me.”

Fleetwood is hoping to learn from other managers and coaches he has played under while developing his own style.

Martin Allen speaks to Stuart Fleetwood

He said: “I played under a few managers. My last time at Cheltenham was when Martin Allen was there and I’m not sure I’m that type of character. He was a bit off the wall but his tactics worked at club’s he’s been at.

“I’ll probably take little bits from each and take on board what the managers said.

“I’m not really a shouter, I look to learn methodically and I’m quite organised but I’ll learn as I go along.”

The season before Fleetwood joined the Robins he was banging in the goals at Forest Green, scoring 32 times in 44 appearances under Jim Harvey before joining Charlton for what was thought to be a six-figure fee.

Fleetwood said: “Jim was probably before his time. His man management was fantastic.

“You could tell from that team that everyone wanted to play for him. If you think you had a good game he would pin you to the wall and tell you you didn’t and if you didn’t play very well he’d say you were great.

Stuart Fleetwood in his first spell at Forest Green

“That was one of my best seasons as a player so I took a few things he taught me on board.”

Now he finds himself back at Cheltenham, Fleetwood is hoping it will last longer than last time when he was one of over 40 players to be used during a dreadful campaign that ended in relegation.

Looking back on his time at the club, Fleetwood said: “The club was going through a transition.

“I remember one game against Colchester when we were 3-1 down and won 4-3. We lost a few and we won a few so we were a bit hit and miss.

“The club was fantastic in the way it was run and the fans were sound with me but it was a bit brief and I went to Brighton on loan after that.”